Page 6 - Final Gandhi AnniversaryOct 2020

Gandhi Legacy Beyond Independence of India
A Cold Blooded Cowardly Murder

ahatma Gandhi was shot at pointblank range at the on which he tried to weave out a social fabric of secular,
age of 78-years, when he was being helped across united and independent India free from the narrow gaze of
Mthe gardens of Birla House by his great-grand nieces region, religion, caste and creed. It was his abiding faith in
looking frail from fasting and going on his way to a prayer truth, non-violence and purity of means which endowed him
meeting. with a rare knack to take momentous decisions based on his
His murderer was a ‘Hindu’ labeled as a fanatic Hindu, who ‘inner voice’.
th
pulled the trigger and shot Gandhiji on 30 January 1948. Gandhiji found his ‘inner voice’ as the most effective
There is no doubt that this cowardly act was part of a major medium for comprehension of truth. He strongly believed
conspiracy to silence his influence on the post-independent that the ‘inner voice’ of a purified soul was as much based on
India. human rationality as on inner ‘revelation’. It was the highest
The historical facts indicate that the Hindutva -a political- meeting point of ‘Reason’ and ‘Revelation’. He regarded the
lobby which advocated partition of India and creating to ‘inner voice’ as nothing less than the ‘voice of God’ and in his

two nations; one for Hindus and one for Muslims, had failed schemes of things, the ‘inner voice’ played as much a role as
to gain much mileage in the elections for the constitutional reasoning, if not more. The role of faith in Gandhi’s life could
assembly held in 1947. The people had overwhelmingly hardly be overemphasized. This is precisely emerges from
voted for the Indian National Congress which enjoying the teaching of Lord Krishna in Srimad Bhagavad Gita.
maximum public popularity. On 29th August 1947, appointed For him both sacred and secular were to form a continuum
a Drafting Committee to,’ ..scrutinise the draft of the text rather than being in any kind of dichotomous relationship. It
of the Constitution of India prepared by Constitutional is through innumerable spiritual and secular struggles that
Adviser. The Drafting Committee had seven members: Alladi he built up his faith, virtually brick by brick. As the rays of
Krishnaswami Ayyar, N. Gopalaswami; B.R. Ambedkar, K.M hope for an independent India came more visible, Gandhiji
Munshi, Mohammad Saadulla, B.L. Mitter and D.P. Khaitan. was known to be moving towards his quest for more faith
At its first meeting on 30th August 1947, the Drafting aspects, holding regular prayers. Like his ‘salt march’, that
Committee elected B.R Ambedkar as its Chairman. Thus, had triggered the battle cry for freedom from the British,
the Constitution which evolved included the core values Gandhiji was on a new path,a journey to seek more celerity on
of secular ideology and rejecting the elements of political being a Hindu as he was never a social and religious recluse.
ideology of Hindutva that was aiming at making India to be Gandhi was a spiritual commoner “first hand experience of
made a Hindu Rastra. the forces that wanted Hindutva politics to monopolise the
Nathuram Godsay, Gandhiji’s assassin said, “My shots power in India, this was perhaps his new mission, knowing
were fired at the person whose policy and action had brought that if allowed to succeed it would dismantle India in years
rack and ruin and destruction to millions of Hindus.” Even at to come.
the lowest denominator of values held in the Hindu faith, its Gandhiji’s ideology must have been seen as a threat on two
does not answer, what justifies this cowardly act of killing an fronts; one of this must be Political and the second would
unarmed 78 year old-man going to his prayers. Gandhiji was be his understanding of the Hindu religion. His secular
elected as the president of the Indian National Party in 1924 sets of “principles” were contradictory to very foundation

and held the post for only one year. Since then, he never held of the ides of creating new India exclusively run by and for
formal position on any cabinet or Constitutional Committee Hindus. This exclusivity while suited to those who advocated
pre or post Independence. Hindu rastra but could not fit in to the vocabulary of those
In reality it was Gandhiji and Jawaharlal Nehru, who were on the side of secular India. Thus, the killing of Mahatma
both of a strong view that there should be no partition of the in January 1948, after almost all the Constitutional and
new India. This position was held despite demands for two
partition arrangements were agreed upon and the Cabinet
nations by the Hindu Maha Sabha leader Vinayak Savarkar
was already in charge of the nation, is a real major puzzle!
and Mohammad Ali Jinnah of Muslim League. It was for
Almost seven decades later, there are those who
Sardar Patel who was asked to convince Gandhiji to give up
unashamedly celebrate Gandhi ji’s death. On 30th January
his fast and support the idea of dividing the nation into two
2019, Hindu Mahasabha national secretary shot at an effigy
parts as the communal butchering was seeing no end. The
of Mahatma Gandhi celebrating ‘Martyr’s Day’ in Uttar
inclusion of the states such as Kashmir, Hyderabad and other
Pradesh’s Aligarh. Afterwards, a symbolic ‘blood’ was seen
odd 560 other small kingdoms into India were trusted in the
oozing out of the effigy and many reports confirmed that
hands of Sardar Patel with Dr Ambedkar and his committee
sweets were distributed by her supporters and fellow
to facilitate such necessary provisions in the constitution
Mahasabha members. These forces also celebrate ‘Shaurya
-including the article 370. Perhaps Gandhi ji would have his
Divas’ (Day of Pride) on January 30, to commemorate the
own personal views, but then he was not the sole decider of
‘valour’ shown by Godse who gunned down an unarmed
any major decisions.
79year-old man in cold blood, forgetting that the spirit of
This poses a huge question; then why Gandhiji was
the values that Mahatma Gandhi held is still as alive. This
blamed for the course of Indian history and judged to be
way, perhaps they attempt to kill Gandhiji’s thoughts and
murdered? The answer may be hidden in the way India is
seen in the 21st Century by the people in the world. Brand vision for India, over and over again every year!
India is respected for its secular democracy where respect Only recently, Britain has unveiled his statue in the
for pluralism and human rights safeguard every individual.” Parliament square. In September 2019, speaking on the
For more than six decades of Indian manged to keep the relevance of Mahatma Gandhi in the contemporary world,
forces of Hindutva politics out of ‘power’ in Delhi. They knew India’s Prime Minister Sri Narendra Modi said, “Gandhi was
that as long as Gandhiji was alive, his influence would have from India but did not belong only to India. Whether it’s
strengthened the roots of democracy and implementation of climate change or terrorism, corruption or selfishness in
secular values. public life, Gandhiji’s ideals are the guiding light for us when
Gandhiji was essentially a man of faith and again his it comes to protecting humanity. I believe that the path shown
fathomless faith which gave him a rare sense of fearlessness by Gandhiji will lead to a better world. I believe that as long
which inspired the life and thinking of his countless as Gandhiji’s philosophy remains embedded in humanity, he
followers. It was once again his faith which worked as a loom will remain relevant and continue to inspire us”.
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2nd October 2020 Gandhi Birth Anniversary Published by Gujarat Publications Ltd